Subscriber Bev Lammert commented via my Terry’s Computer Tips blog:
Hi Terry,
I again thank you for your really great newsletters. I can’t help but wonder why you and a couple other computer helps newsletters I receive are giving all these great tips and info about Windows 7 when so many of us don’t have it yet and won’t till October. Sure hope all these helpful tips will be repeated when I have it which I will end of October! Not complaining, just curious. Bev
That’s a good question, Bev. There are several reasons
First, Windows 7 is the hot new thing coming up in the Windows world — and it’s one that everyone who buys a new PC is going to hit.
I don’t know about the other writers, but I want my readers to have a chance to "hit the ground running" when they meet Windows 7. That’s why I’m showing how the basic functions work — so you don’t hit everything about Windows 7 without any preparation.
The second factor is that changing to a new operating system is scary for most people. It’s challenging for all of us — we have to learn something new, while we were nice and comfortable with our old operating system.
I want to help smooth that transition by showing how much more user-friendly Windows 7 is than Windows XP is.
Finally, Windows XP is a dead duck despite the efforts of all the people who still want to run it.
Microsoft has moved Windows XP to its extended support status, meaning that MS will provide occasional security updates. Based on experience with earlier Microsoft operating systems and earlier versions of Office, we can expect that these updates will quickly become few and far between. The standard answer for most issues will become "You need to upgrade."
I imagine that I will be writing about Windows 7 for a long time. Meanwhile, I will have the articles I’ve written on Windows 7 posted as web site content by the time Windows 7 is released.
Bev brought up a good point. Once Windows 7 is released, I ought to list the articles in the newsletter for quick reference and quick linking to them.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to show that the change to Windows 7 won’t be scary and that, if anything, it will be more friendly.
Also, remember that I’m running Win 7 Release Candidate on a 5-year-old notebook! This isn’t the latest, greatest, fastest hardware available…
If you want to check your current computer to see if it can run Windows 7, you can download the beta version of the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor program from Microsoft. You can find it at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/upgrade-advisor.aspx
and